Silicone particles can also come off with solid breast implants, which were previously considered safe. This is shown by international research published today in the medical journal JAMA, reports the AVROTROS consumer program Radar.
In 87 percent of the 400 women studied with solid or liquid breast implants, particles of the implant were found elsewhere in the body, including the brain. In addition, inflammatory reactions in the body were shown in 92.5 percent of the women.
Solid silicone breast implants have been the norm since the 1990s, claiming to be a safe alternative to liquid gel silicone implants. But now research shows that there is no difference in health effects between the old silicone implants and the new ones.
Complaints later at most
“The previous research from the 1990s already showed how bad these liquid silicones were, and what the causal relationship is with complaints,” researcher Henry Dijkman told Radar. “We now show: it is the same with the new products. At most, the complaints with the new products occur later.”
It also appears that in 99 percent of the cases silicone particles leak or ‘sweat’. “The use of the silicone breast implants should be discontinued until safety is proven,” the scientists say.
Researcher Dijkman wants insurers to reimburse the removal of implants from women who have complaints as a result. That doesn’t always happen now.
Research
Last summer, RIVM, together with general practitioners and educational institutions, started a four-year study into implanted breast prostheses. More than 200,000 women in the Netherlands have implants.
The institutions are investigating whether there is a link between silicone breast implants and health complaints, such as chronic fatigue and joint complaints.
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